YMCA course offers hope to young jobseekers

Young jobseekers without NCEA credits have been offered a second chance at capturing standards that could be vital to their prospective careers, says YMCA teacher Alex Hall.

Mr Hall, who is a former Makoura College teacher, said the National Certificate of Employment Skills course was launched at the beginning of the year at the YMCA Masterton in Queen St.

He said there had been an initial class of a dozen students aged from 18 to 24, which was half the maximum count allowable on the course, but a "glitch" with student allowance payments had meant eight people were unable to continue after enrolling.

He said the payment problem had been resolved and he was looking to bolster the present class roll of four students.

"This means that anyone between the ages of 18 and 24 who would like to take this course is now able to receive student allowance while studying with us," he said.

"We are here for people who have left school without NCEA credits, who can join with us and get those standards up to level 2 to progress on to employment or further study, maybe at Wairarapa UCOL over the road," he said.

The course consists of 13 compulsory units at NCEA levels one and two that provide the student with 37 credits. Students then choose another 23 credits from a range of level one and two units to make up the 60 credits necessary to pass, Mr Hall said.

"Once this is finished, we then spend another three months getting the students into either further study at NCEA level 3 and higher, or employment. Students have one year to complete the course."

Mr Hall said classes are run at the YMCA "like a fulltime job" and not like a routine school day, starting at 9am and finishing at 3pm Monday through Friday.

"We aim to get them on to further education or work, and even though jobs are thin on the ground here in Wairarapa, one of my students got a job just last week. So, it does happen all the same."

For more information or to enroll on the course call Alex Hall at the YMCA Masterton on 06 377 5499 or email alexhall@ymca.org.nz.